Signs of the Times – Part unknown

Summit Meeting Brings Dialog But Little Agreement

At the first U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in more than six years President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev met face to face for more than 15 hours. Of this time five hours were spent in six private sessions in which the two leaders set their own agenda. Although president Reagan said after the conference, “we understand each other better,” the differences between the two nations appear to be too deep to be resolved in such a meeting no matter how well the individuals get along.

The main subjects discussed were arms control, human rights and the involvement of the superpowers in Third World conflicts. The two leaders discussed these matters frankly, each pointing out what he considered to be flaws in his opponent’s national behavior. To most observers the big question before the summit was nuclear arms control, particularly the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative known as Star Wars. President Reagan tried to convince the Soviet leader that this defensive shield poses no threat to the Soviet Union. Secretary Gorbachev, however, refused to accept this theory and warned that if the U.S. goes ahead with the development of this system no nuclear agreement is possible.

Despite continuing differences over major issues agreement was reached on some minor ones. A continuing dialog between the two leaders was agreed upon with Gorbachev coming to the U.S. in 1986 and Reagan to Moscow in 1987. More cultural exchanges are to take place between the two nations and it was agreed that each leader would address the people of both countries by satellite on New Year’s Day.

Foreign affairs analysis generally agree that both men gained something from the encounter. President Reagan is given credit for coming back with his Star Wars program intact while Secretary Gorba­chev is said to have enhanced his politician standing at home by showing himself

an equal in the superpower arena. Before the meetings it was not expected that any serious breakthrough would be made on any of the major issues dividing the two nations. Therefore, no great disappointment has been expressed in the news media that more of substance was not accomplished by the meeting.

Terrorism a New Form of Warfare

A big item in the news in recent weeks has been the indiscriminate shootings by terrorists at airline ticket counters in Vienna and Rome in which 14 people were killed and 100 injured. This incident was only the latest in a number of acts of terrorism committed in recent months. A report issued recently by the Rand Corporation, a California based think tank, stated that the number of terrorist acts committed has been rising at an annual rate of 12 to 15 percent over the past several years.

Although the heads of western nations denounce terrorism and the state of Israel has a policy of reprisals against those responsible, the number and violence of the acts continue to escalate. Experts on the subject admit that there is no defense against these random suicide attacks and that the Western nations are involved in a new form of warfare. The Rand report points out that the phenomenon is likely to continue and as the public and the news media begin to view the acts as commonplace the scale of the attacks may be increased to gain the media attention that the terrorists want.

The danger of the situation lies in the fact that some very well armed nations act as sponsors. Libya, Syria and Iran all train and finance terrorists on a large scale. If Israel or the United States out of frustration were to get involved in armed conflict with one of these powers the Soviet Union might feel compelled to respond militarily setting off World War III or even Armageddon.

After the recent series of incidents in which American lives were lost and Libya was known to be the sponsor, the U.S. administration has been under pressure from the public to come up With some retaliatory response. Fearing another hostage crisis involving the 1,000 to 1,500 U.S. citizens working in Libya the U.S. government settled for an economic boycott and ordered U.S. citizens to get out or face loss of citizenship. European allies who were more affected by the terrorist acts than the U.S. refused to join in the boycott due to economic ties to Libya. The boycott therefore becomes largely a symbolic gesture.

Drone Aircraft—A Weapon Come of Age

According to military weapons experts a device that will play an important role in any future conventional war will be a small drone aircraft called the mini-RPV (remotely piloted vehicle). Drone aircraft have been used for several decades but the modern RPV is equipped with television cameras, radio transmitters and other surveillance gear and is monitored many miles away at a video console. Equipped with a quiet low horsepower engine, the craft can cruise in enemy airspace unnoticed for hours at a time and send information in the form of T.V. and radio signals to the ground control station where the information is evaluated and then sent to fighter-bomber aircraft which swoop in for a surprise attack.

In Lebanon in 1982 Israeli forces used mini-RPV’s to trick Syrian antiaircraft missile operators into turning on their high-powered tracking radar, thus disclosing their positions to Israeli radar-seeking misiles. Following this successful demonstration the Soviet Union has deployed its version of the mini-RPV with the Syrian forces. The U.S. is said to be using them in El Salvador to monitor rebel activity.

Designers of these vehicles foresee a multitude of forms including solar-pow­ered models that might loiter at high al­titudes for months at a time performing surveilance tasks for both military and civilian purposes.

Refusal to Swear or Affirm Upheld by Court

One very clear and explicit command of Jesus Christ is the injunction against swearing or taking of oaths. (Matt. 5:33) James in his epistle repeats the words of Jesus on this subject. (James 5:12) Orthodox Christian churches choose to ignore this teaching of scripture just as they do many of the other principles taught by Jesus. However, due to the influence of certain sects like the Quakers on the development of American law, the alternative of affirmation is permitted as an alternate to swearing in courts of law.

In a civil case in Boise, Idaho a witness refused to either swear or affirm on religious grounds. The trial judge dismissed the case and gave the witness 12 days in jail for contempt of court. Upon appeal however, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled by a 2-1 vote that the word “affirm” need not be used. The majority opinion held that “any statement indicating that the witness is impressed with the duty to tell the truth and understands that he or she can be prosecuted for perjury for failure to do so satisfies the requirement for an oath or affirmation.”

The witness had stated that he understood his duty to accurately state the facts and that he could be prosecuted for perjury for testifying falsely. Two judges of the appeals court said this was an acceptable substitute for the oath, a third judge however, dissented.

American Zealot Stirs Israel

The Rabbi Meir Kahane is a radical Jewish leader who has struck a responsive chord with certain elements of an Israeli population, frustrated and disappointed that the war in Lebanon did not achieve the security from Arab terrorism that they hoped. Kahane, a New York native and founder of the Jewish Defense League, is gaining followers at what conservative Jews consider an alarming rate with his simple message that however it is to be accomplished the Arabs must be gotten out of Israel. He has been elected to a seat in the Knesset and he predicts that one day he will be prime minister of Is­rael.

He has written a book entitled “They Must Go” in which he presents the problem he thinks Israel will be facing in a few years if it remains a democracy in which the Arabs have equal voting rights with Jews. The Arab population, he maintains, is growing at a much faster rate than the Jewish population and will outnumber it in about 20 years. “The real danger to Israel doesn’t lie in the PLO killing Jews,” he says. “The real danger is the Arabs who sit quietly in this country and are good citizens and will never hurt anybody. They will become a majority and then Israel as a Jewish state will no longer exist.” He points out that Israel was founded as a Jewish state. His blunt expression of such “demographic facts of life,” as he calls them accounts for his growing popularity in some quarters and unpopularity in others. When the Knesset passed a law specifically aimed at him banning racist parties he promised to assemble a platform composed exclusively from old testament pas­sages, daring the Knesset to condemn it. He sees Zionism and democracy as inconsistent and maintains that Israel must make a choice between them sooner or later. The most he would allow the Arabs is permission to reside in Israel as non­-citizens with equal protection but no right to vote.

His opponents claim that he exaggerates the problem. While admitting that Arabs do outnumber Jews in some areas such as Galilee, nevertheless over all they comprise less than 20% of the population and their birthrate is falling and may eventually become the same as that of the Jews. It is also pointed out that the policies Kahane advocates are considered so reprehensible in most western nations that support for Israel might be seriously jeopardized if his policies were adopted. It seems that in Israel most converts to Rabbi Kahane’s philosophy are young radical Jews without a depth of perspective. In other parts of the world he has been either condemned or ignored by the mainstream of Judaism. Whatever measure of power this man may achieve it is unlikely that the looked for security for Israel will be gained by measures such as he proposes.

More Freedom of Religion in China

Although the government is officially atheist, the Peoples Republic of China has a new 1982 constitution that guarantees freedom of religion to Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and Taoists as long as they observe certain rules and support the modernization program of chairman Deng Xiaoping. Thousands of churches, mosques and temples that were damaged by the Red Guards during the cultural revolution are being restored and one and a half million new Bibles are being printed.

Foreign church workers are being allowed to work as teachers and social workers and to practice their faith but not to engage in missionary activities. Chinese Protestants are reported to have invited Billy Graham to visit and speak in their churches. With the Catholics the situation is somewhat different because of the Roman Church’s insistence on allegiance to the pope as a matter of faith. In the ’50s Pope Pius XII threatened excommunication for any Chinese clergy who accepted the government requirement that they renounce papal primacy. The Vatican’s recognition of Taiwan is also an issue separating Chinese Catholics from Rome as is the practice of many of the Chinese clergy to marry. Pope John Paul II has been trying to break the impasse by sending conciliatory messages to Bishops of the Catholic Patriotic Association as the Chinese church is called. He is ignoring his predecessor’s harsh criticism of the CPA and has expressed a willingness to negotiate reconciliation.

Although the government allows foreign money to aid social-welfare programs of the churches, foreign support of churches themselves or efforts to make converts are forbidden. Christians of all denominations number about 10 million but large as this number may seem they are hardly noticed in a nation of one billion population.

Peace Efforts Damaged by Hijacking

The hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro by four Palestinians and the killing of one American passenger, triggered more international repercussions than any terrorist event of recent years. Observers of Middle Eastern affairs gen­erally agree that the PLO damaged its credibility as the spokesmen for the Palestinian people in the Middle East peace process by its involvement in the affair.

Whether or not the fugitive mastermind of the incident, Mahamed Abuss had the approval of Yasser Arafat, the peace process has received a major setback. There is even speculation that the affair was staged by the PLO to sabotage the peace efforts of Egypt and Jordan which appeared to be making more progress than had been seen in a long time. King Hussein of Jordan was rumored to be ready to deal with Israel without the PLO, but after a meeting with Arafat he joined Egypt in reaffirming support of the PLO. Arafat, however, still refuses the minimum concession toward negotiation — recognition of Israel’s right to exist.

Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres told his cabinet that his major objective is to exclude the PLO from participation in the peace process. Peres has however expressed optimism that his government would eventually go along with Jordan’s plan to include the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council in the talks although without diplomatic recognition of Israel by the Soviets or China this might be difficult.

Satanic Cults to Lose Tax Exemption

Sorcery, witchcraft and occult practices were strictly forbidden under the Mosaic law (Deut. 18:10-14) but somehow have persisted even into the present age of relative enlightenment. Members of the U.S. Congress recently learned that the Internal Revenue Service has been granting religious tax exemption to groups promoting witchcraft and decided to pass a law to take away their tax-exempt status.

An amendment to the 1986 general appropriations act was passed by the Senate and House to revoke tax exemption to any organization that promotes Satanism or Witchcraft. Satanism is defined as the worship of the “powers of evil” and witchcraft as “the use of sorcery or supernatural powers with malicious intent.”

In explaining the action, sponsors of the law said, “we allow tax-exempt sta­tus for bonafide religious organizations because we believe they help promote the common good. Cults and witchcraft groups do not; in fact, they lead to violent and unlawful behavior.”

An Arab Peace Offensive

With the Presidential election out of the way and President Reagan’s second term in office begun, the more rational leaders of the Middle East Arab nations evidently feel it is a good time to try to get the United States to use its influence to get the peace negotiations with Israel going again. A procession of Arab leaders have been making their way to Washington in recent weeks among them King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and President Hos­ni Mubarak of Egypt. King Hussein of Jordan is expected to pay a visit in the spring.

The message they are bringing is that an opportunity exists that may not come again for the U.S. to lead the way to a settlement. They claim that the pro-Western moderates are now in the ascendancy and an opportunity for a settlement exists along the lines of U.N. resolution 242 which trades peace for occupied territory.

The U.S., however, is reluctant to get involved after previous disastrous attempts such as the peace making intervention in Lebanon. In Israel the “national unity” government is thought unlikely to agree to any peace plan that involves giving up territory. Now that Israel is finally withdrawing from Lebanon, the violence there is on the increase with Syria providing the operating base for terrorists.

The U.S. administration is prepared to help Saudi Arabia defend the Persian Gulf and will ask congress to approve the sale of weapons including F-15 fighters and Sidewinder missiles but as far as Middle East peace is concerned the time is not yet considered right for the U.S. to get involved.

A Papal Convention of Bishops

This year will be the twentieth anniversary of the conclusion of Vatican Council II, the gathering of Bishops that Pope John XXIII convened to overhaul and modernize the Catholic Church. That council brought about many changes in the church, some of them controversial.

Last January Pope John Paul II called for a conclave of Bishops for two weeks beginning November 26 to evaluate progress toward the goals of the original council and to, as he put it, “relive in some way the extraordinary atmosphere of ecclesiastical communion.” Although the present pontiff was a delegate to the original council and championed the reforms, since his election as pope he has tried to halt what he considers dangerous liberalizing tendencies within the church. By calling the conference the pope is giving the bishops an opportunity to pre­sent their views.

Among the reforms instituted by the three year deliberation of Vatican II were the softening of the authorative hierarchical structure by establishing national conferences of bishops to share the responsibility for governing the church. The form of the mass was changed and an openness to other faiths and the recognition of the principle of religious freedom were adopted. In all, 16 major documents were produced at the council and some observers wonder if two weeks will be enough time to get an extensive evaluation.

Another Papal Tour

After announcing the synod, the pope took off on a 12 day tour of South America, his sixth to that part of the world and 25th outside Italy since taking office. He made 45 speeches in Venezuela, Equador and Peru where liberation theology is a major issue. In this part of the world the union of communism and Catholicism that many look for as a later day development appears to be progressing from the bottom up.

The lower levels of the clergy are identifying with the Marxist doctrine of class struggle and in some cases are even helping in the promotion of class conflict. The pope warns that the gospel is being subordinated to social activism. Perhaps just as centuries ago pagan doctrines subverted the faith taught by the apostles, so the Marxist doctrine of materialism may yet find its place as a doctrine of the church.

A Religious Confrontation Over Converts

A battle, as yet of words, appears to be shaping up between Baptists and Mormons in parts of the south and west. The Baptists see the aggressive missionary work being done by the Mormons as a threat to the stability of their congregations. Joined with ex-Mormons the fundamentalists are waging a vigorous campaign to discredit Mormon beliefs and practices. In North Carolina a video movie titled “The God Makers” is reported to be circulating for the purpose, it is said, of exposing the “secret doctrines and dangerous practices” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the official name of the Mormon Church.

At a recent opening of the Mormon temple in Dallas, Texas protesters marched outside with placards accusing the Mormons of worshiping false gods. The Mormons have reacted to the accusation that they are not Christians by increasing the size of the words “Jesus Christ” in the Church’s official logo. Although for theological reasons Mormons don’t make a special celebration of Easter, last year they went on television with a special on Jesus Christ.

Mormonism appears to still be evolving as it has from its cult-like beginning a century and a half ago. Mormons do not publicize their faith and reveal their beliefs only when working with potential converts. For this reason theological argument hardly accounts for the success of their missionary efforts. If the conversion rate is anywhere near what their opponents claim then perhaps as so often happens, persecution strengthens rather than weakens the objects of it. The free publicity probably helps also.

Star Wars Strategy

In proposing the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) also Known as Star Wars, the U.S. administration claims that a defense against nuclear missiles is feasible and that such a system would when fully developed render nuclear war obsolete. It is also maintained that the world would be a safer place if the nuclear powers moved away from mutually assured destruction to a concept of mutually assured defense.

Opponents of the scheme argue that it would not work, but the leaders of the Soviet Union obviously do not agree judging by the intensive Soviet lobbying campaign to get Western allies to demand that the U.S. abandon the idea. When Mikhail Gorbachev, then the number two Soviet leader, visited Britain recently he contended that any progress in the coming Geneva arms negotiations would depend on convincing President Reagan to scrap his plan for Star Wars. During Foreign Minister Gromyko’s visit to Italy and Spain he unsuccessfully tried to convince the NATO allies that the Star Wars system could leave the Western Alliance unprotected.

Proponents of the plan insist that the Soviet Union only wants to protect its lead in this field where it is already ahead of the rest of the world. The limited anti-ballistic missile system around Moscow is in the process of upgrading. A phased array radar system in central Siberia is well positioned to defend the SS-18 and SS-19 missiles. Intelligence sources say that Soviet Cosmonauts in their space station have already been experimenting with laser systems like that planned by the U.S.

Whether it is possible to limit the sophistication of weaponry by treaty is open to debate. The state of the art in the fields that make Star Wars possible has already reached the point in the civilian sector where transfer of the technology to the military field is sooner or later inevitable. So, regardless of the outcome of the Geneva talks, there can be little optimism that the world will become a less dangerous place as long as human nature remains what it is.

China Adopts a Pragmatic Marxism

Of the politically important events occurring in 1984 the one event that some analysts see as having perhaps the widest and longest lasting significance is the turn of the Chinese government away from Marxism. For almost a decade the Maoists have accused Deng Xiaoping of leading China away from Maoism and Marxism and back toward capitalism.. Until 1984 this had always been denied but now the denials have stopped and the official voice of China’s Communist Party, the Peking People’s Daily, has stated on its front page that Marxism and Leninism are not necessarily the best principles for bringing China into the modern era.

The article also points out that over a century has passed since Marx formulated his ideas, so his principles cannot al­ways be relied upon to solve present day problems. The article states further, “If we continue to use certain Marxist principles our historic development will surely be hampered.” While no China watchers see democracy likely to emerge in China, they do see a more rapid development toward true superpower sta­tus as China becomes self sufficient in food and technology.

The concern some experts have about this defection is the destabilizing effect on the Soviet Union. It is expected that the Soviet leaders are viewing this development with alarm and through the KGB will no doubt exert every effort to incite revolt by the loyal Maoists among the 40 million party members who run the affairs of the Chinese nation.

In anticipation of resistance to change among the hard line communists the Deng regime is instituting wide spread personnel changes, sending into retirement as many as possible of the now aging Maoists. In the army dozens of senior officers have been replaced in a move to place “more open minded” officers in key military posts. The question that remains to be answered is to what lengths the Soviets might go to try to turn around the Chinese defectors.

Some New Faces in Israel

Often apparently natural occurrences lead to fulfilment of prophesy. The sojourn of the children of Israel in Egypt began with famine in the land of promise, a sojourn that God had predicted to Abraham (Gen. 15:13). Today famine is the incentive for the moving to Israel of a group of Jews isolated for centuries in Ethiopia. In a secret airlift, more than 10,000 members of Ethiopia’s Falasha community have been taken to Israel to escape the starvation that is killing hundreds of thousands of people in Ethiopia. Most of these black Jews are illiterate and have been living in such isolation that many have never seen a car or radio set.

According to their oral tradition their origin as Jews goes back to the days of King Solomon. They are said to be the descendants of the servants of Menelik the legendary son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Another tradition has them the descendants of the tribe of Dan driven abroad to Ethiopia in the dispersal of the ten tribes by the Assyrians in the eighth century before Christ. Whatever their origin, their presence in Israel is putting a strain on the economy of the Galilean towns where they have been taken. Since they speak no Hebrew and have no industrial skills they are adding to the already high unemployment rate among Jews and Arabs in the region.

The airlift which had been kept a secret operation to avoid interference from the Ethiopian military was finally revealed when local officials at the towns to which the refugees were brought complained in the press about the hardships placed on them by the huge influx.

Famine in Africa

The famine that has been so highly publicized in Ethiopia is by no means confined to that country. In at least six and possibly as many as 30 countries in Africa the situation is so bad that it is expected that millions will die in spite of all the aid that can be gotten to the drought ravaged continent. For three years the worst drought in 70 years has struck populations whose food supply is only marginal in the best of times.

The last drought 10 years ago caused the overthrow of Emperior Haile Selas­sie, considered at that time one of the more enlightened absolute monarchs, and created the Soviet aligned Marxist state in Ethiopia. The civil war that has continued since has been responsible for much of the misery sweeping that coun­try. Although warned two years ago of impending famine the country’s leaders ignored expert advice and continued to spend nearly half the gross national product on Soviet weapons.

The aid that is pouring into Africa from Western nations often does not reach the people who need it due to lack of the proper distribution facilities. Also the huge refugee populations and those migrating in search of food increases the difficulty of getting supplies to them. Environmental experts, however, say that only a small part of the blame can be placed on nature. The drought cycles in Africa, they say, have always occurred in about the same way. They blame rather human mismanagement of agricultural resources and an excessively high rate of population growth for the problems plaguing that troubled continent. The severity of the situation is such that relief agencies try to do what they can knowing their efforts are almost certain to be inadequate. Here truly is an example of the “distress of nations with perplexity” that Luke chapter 21 said would come when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

A Violent Confrontation

The fear that has been in the hearts of the populations of violence ridden urban centers for years has now apparently reached the political leaders of those areas. The alarm is not over the crime taking place there but over the public’s reaction to it.

When a New York subway rider shot and wounded four young men who allegedly tried to intimidate him into giving them money, the public’s reaction was overwhelmingly in support of the gunman. A police hot line set up to receive tips about the identity of the gunman received instead hundreds of calls applauding his action. Callers to radio talk shows perceived him as a hero who had struck a blow for vengeance if not for justice.

An immediate alarm was voiced by both the state governor and the mayor of the city who both saw the potential for anarchy if public passions get out of hand. The perception that the justice system is not effective in protecting the public is apparently borne out by statistics. Of the many tens of thousands of crimes reported each year in New York City only a few hundred criminals are convicted of a crime and less than 70 of these without plea bargaining. The fact that the situation continues to get worse rather than better refutes the belief held by many that in time by an evolutionary process mankind will develop a society that affords protection and justice to all its members. The scriptures tell us that this condition will prevail only when Jesus Christ and His immortalized saints rule on the earth.

Libya and Morocco Form Union

Col Muammar Khadafy, arch enemy of Israel, has once more called upon all Arabs to join him in an attack on Israel This came following the signing of a treaty with King Hassan II of Morocco calling for a merger of the two nations Until this occurred Hassan had been con­sidered a leader of the moderate Arab world and a friend of the U S

The move took many observers by surprise and embarrassed the U S Morocco is one of the few Arab countries that have shown a willingness to have dealings with Israel. The hope is that this like other alliances entered into by Libya will come to nothing The reason Hassan accepted the agreement is thought by some to involve the Polisario guerrillas who with Soviet arms supplied by Libya have long been a thorn in the side of the Moroccan king Respite from the guerrillas will allow Hassan to deal more effectively with his other opponents, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania who recently joined in a federation themselves

In the fifteen years that Khadafy has been in power his dream of an Arab world united under his leadership has remained elusive Most nations other than Syria, Iran and the Soviet Union consider Khadafy an outlaw because of his terrorist tactics At home he faces growing opposition to his radical economic and social policies In May he barely survived a coup and since then his increased repression has not helped his popularity with his people

Although Libya may not be destined to lead the Arab world, the scriptures name Libya as one of the allies of Gog along with Persia and Ethiopia in that final battle in the land of Israel Her present hostility to Israel and her position with respect to Iran fit neatly into the prediction made by Ezekiel some 2500 years ago

Elusive Red Sea Mines

Despite denials by Muammar Khadafy that Libya has been involved in the laying of mines that have damaged eighteen ships at the approaches to the Suez Canal, circumstantial evidence points to Libya being involved. Suspicion also rests on Iran although officially the Iranian government has disclaimed responsibility.

Surprisingly an international mine sweeping force failed to find any mines and observers at the scene speculate that it may never be possible to conclusively lay the blame. Some fear that more mines may be lying on the ocean bottom equipped with timing devices to activate them at a later date after the area had been swept and declared safe.

One of the Iranian terrorist groups claiming responsibility is the Islamic Holy War, the terrorists who bombed the Marine Barracks in Lebanon. A prominent Iranian exile in Paris attributes the mining to a power struggle within Iran itself. He says that it is the work of extremists opposed to a more moderate faction now gaining ascendancy in Iran. This faction favors ending the war with Iraq and establishing better relations with the west. Acts of sabotage are tended to torpedo the initiatives of the moderates and to keep Iran in the self-imposed isolation that has prevailed since the ouster of the Shah.

German Rapprochement

According to political analysts the important news out of Europe in the next few months is likely to concern relations between the two Germany’s. After it was announced last spring that East German Communist Party leader Erich Honecker would go to Bonn and meet with West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl hopes were stirred in both East and West Germany that a period of good relations was in prospect. The trip was to have taken place the last week in September but as had been predicted by many observers it was called off in all probability due to Soviet pressure. If the trip had been allowed to take place it would have represented an unprecedented deviation from the Soviet line by Moscow’s wealthiest and most stable satellite.

Ironically the trend toward better relations between the Germany’s started soon after the sharp controversy over deployment of the U.S. Pershing II and cruise missiles. Although Honecker had expressed stern opposition to the deployment before it happened, once it had begun and the Soivet Union retaliated by placing SS-21 rockets in East Germany, Honecker decided to “limit the damage” by establishing a dialog with Bonn regardless of the condition of U.S.-Soviet relations. A series of negotiations followed on small but vexing issues such as cleaning up pollution in rivers and streams common to both countries and improving the postal systems. Spokesmen for the Soviet Union have been sharply denouncing the trend so that postponement of Honecker’s visit to the west came as no surprise.

Western political analysts feel that the postponement was a severe embarrassment for Honecker since rapprochement with West Germany is extremely popular in East Germany. East German resentment against the Soviet masters is also said to have been heightened by the boycott of the L.A. Olympics. Some observers see the increased tension in the eastern European satellite countries as increasing the risk of military intervention by the Soviet Union to whom protection of her European flank is a matter of utmost importance.

Political Deadlock in Israel

For a month after the July elections Israel’s Labor Party tried unsuccessfully to form a government based on its small plurality of seats in parliament. All attempts by Shimon Peres to rally support among the minority parties was successfully opposed by the Likud Party led by the interim prime minister Yitzhak Shamir.

In an attempt to break the stalemate the leaders of the two major parties agreed to form a national unity government. Under the agreement Peres and Shamir would take turns heading the government for twenty-five months each. Each major party would be assigned cabinet seats for their supporters in the minor parties. Political analysts give the plan little chance of succeeding due to deep differences between the parties, particularly over the building of settlements in the occupied territories.

If neither party can form a government and a coalition can’t be formed a new election will have to be held. This possibility is not looked forward to by many members of the Knesset who have just been elected to their positions. It is therefore likely that every effort will be made to come to an agreement.

Besides disagreement over the settlements the government will have to face a number of serious matters. With turmoil in Lebanon increasing again both parties would like to get Israeli troops out but how to do it and maintain the security of the northern border will be the problem. With the economy in a shambles both parties agree that an austerity program will be necessary, unpopular as it will be with the voters. How much to spend on religious schools and whether to pursue peace talks with King Hussein of Jordan are also among the issues facing the new government.

In Israel voting is for a party rather than a candidate and any party getting over one percent of the vote is entitled to a seat in the Knesset. The rest of the seats are given to the parties in proportion to their share of the vote. Such a system, while very democratic, virtually ensures that no party will have a majority and often results in paralysis of the governmental process. If the present leaders of Israel are to succeed in their task the power that gave wisdom to Solomon will indeed have to give it to them.